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What We Are Thankful For
This holiday season, we at Mass 50501 asked our volunteers to share what they’re thankful for and what our movement means to them. Click through below to see what they had to say.
Democracy Means Talking To Each Other
The United States is a democracy. In a democracy, the people rule. What does a democracy require of its citizens? Specifically, if democracy is run by people in the collective sense, what does that require of us as individuals?
The Most Powerful Idea
The bold proposition was that through debate, introspection, revision, and testing of ideas against a voting public with conflicting interests, it was possible to produce better leaders, better economies, and better nations. Our country’s creation was dubbed the American Experiment because most people, including some of the Founders, had doubts that a people governing themselves could be done. America was a product of the Enlightenment.
A Movement’s Search for Meaning
The real enemy of this movement is existential; a dreadful fear for the future that grinds us down to the nub as each insult irritates the yawning chasm that leaves us unable to rest. The force of this dread is something we must learn to endure. Your self-care toolkit shouldn’t be just rest and relaxation, but also a healthy understanding of the mind's weaknesses and limitations, and taking deliberate action through a thoughtful framing of the day’s events to improve it.
Who Owns The Future?
I fear the task has fallen to our generation to build something new, and if so, it will be a defining struggle. It will be hard, but all we need to do is tell the truth. In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.
Who Controls The Past?
To control the collective memory of a people through history erases everything a people once was and replaces it with an eternal present. A simple adjustment to the “facts” of the day can justify any action, no matter how obviously stupid and cruel. Power becomes unmoored from the systems that balance against baser human instincts and then the world is one where only the corrupt can flourish.
The Case for Nonviolence
The power of nonviolent protest extends from your living room to the streets of every state. Groups like 50501, Indivisible, Veterans Against Trump, Common Cause, and others are growing in number each day and are active in every state. There are podcasts and publications, both liberal and conservative, sounding the alarm against the winds of fascism which are descending on us like a sandstorm in the desert. Poets are writing, Pedro is imploring and The Boss has spoken. Together we need to wield the most powerful weapon we have at our disposal: our voice.
I've Been to 4 Months of Protests and Trump Shows No Signs of Stopping: Now What?
The road ahead is long but not endless. Each of us will inevitably face situations that make us angry, anxious, or afraid. We’ll question if we’re doing the right thing, or if we’re the right people to be doing it. We’ll question whether there’s anything we can do to solve a problem that just seems to get worse and worse. But by taking action in ways other than through protest, we can anchor ourselves and strengthen our resolve.